To explain further developments it must be noted that while in this country the success of the _Monitor_ induced us to experiment with placing guns in revolving armoured turrets, in France the tendency was to build a fixed armoured tower in the ship, and place the guns inside on a turntable _en barbette_--that is to say, so mounted that they could fire over the top of the armour in any direction. We tried to go one better in the _Temeraire_ (1877). She was a broadside ship, with a "box-battery" amidships, but forward and aft two pear-shaped armoured barbettes were built into her, the tops of which rose about 1 foot or 18 inches above her upper deck. In each of these was placed a 25-ton gun--we classified guns by weight in those days, and not by inches of calibre as we do now--on a mounting, which enabled it to sink down on being fired, and to be raised up again into its firing-position when loaded. The _Temeraire_, it may be said, was an experimental ship in many ways. Though heavily rigged, she had only two masts, so was like an enormous brig. I believe I am right in saying that her mainyard was the longest and heaviest in the Service. At one time, too, she was painted grey, instead of the black which was then universal, except when ships were in hot climates, when it was generally changed to white. Yellow funnels were regulation, as was "mast-colour"--a sort of deep-yellow ochre with a reddish tinge--for all masts and spars. Ships were, and had been for very many years, painted white withinboard instead of the old eighteenth-century red. Outboard the black sides were finished off generally with a white water-line, and a broad white band along the upper part of the bulwarks, known as a "boot-top". Sometimes another white line was painted on the black side a few inches below it.